Cribbing



C. GILMAN 1 Nov. 2, 1943.

CRIBBING Filed June 7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 67/4215; 64pm ATTORNEYS c. GILMAN Nov. 2, -1 943.

CRIBBING Filed June 7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CHARLES G/LMAA/ ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 2, 1943 umreoysmrasr PATENT T 3 "2,333,168 r 1 R I G Charles Gilnian, Plainfield, N. J. Application Jae-1, 1941, s rialfN ssaoos 7 Claims. (01. si -47) Thisinvention relates to cribbing and more particularly relates-to improvements invprecast structures of 1 concrete and other-mater-ials which are especiallyadaptedito holding and supporting the earth therebeh-ind from flowing through the cribbing and injuring the embankment, but at the same time to providea structure, whieh will effectively permitthe drainage ofwater; from the imprisonedeartht It is an object of this invention; mprovide cribbing members having relatively-broad or extended upper andtlower bearing surfaces so that the stretchers may rest directly on stretchers and headers on'headers without crushing.

It is a further object of myinvention to provide;

a cribbing construction in which an effective guard against lateral movement of the individual,

courses of the cribbing; with relation to ,each

other is. provided without the necessity of rigidly attaching the courses toeach other. i

It is a further object oimy'inventionitoprovide a, cribbing structure-inwhieh afew; stand--\ ard parts may, be SimPIYJaSSGmDIBd tQ form the complete structuretand inWh c i certain of :the parts may be utilized for morezthan one specific function. i w l e t It is a furtherobject of this invention to provide a cribbing construction in which the headers which join the stretchers, may be utilized in securing the ends of the construction so that the overall strength of the cribbing will be equal and the terminal section thereof will have strength, equavilent to thatof; central; portions which are supported on both sides. t

i It, is a further object of theinvention to provide intermediate stretcher anchors for anchoringthe, stretchers to the fill at-pointslbetween the. headers; thereby permitting the use of long stretcherswithout danger of breakage and relieving some of the stress from the headers.

Further-objects and advantagest will appear from the detailed description.andr'idrawings in which various preferred forms of my invention Figure 3115; an end; ew of; the cribbing: shown d n r of inFig. 1 with one of the T heads Jloroken.away. Figure 4 .is a section taken on the line 4+4,

q rL. U a Figure 5 is a sectiontaken on the Innat -5, of Fig. 1. I n

Figure 6 is a detailed top planview ofa media fied type of jointbetween the end of a] header and ends of two stretchers.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view through a; series of stretchers showing a series of inter mediate stretcher anchors in, elevation, thefposition of section being indicated by line 1-9'1 of Fig. 1. n t

Figure 8 is .atrear elevation of a stretcher.

. Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view of the I stretcher taken on line 9-9- of Fig. 8.

Figure 10 is a verticallsectional view similar to Fig. 7 showing a modified construction of. stretcher and-cooperating stretcher anchor.

Figure 12 is an end elevation of. a cribbing.

assembly showing a, corner construction which may be employed to produce a finished end wall,

and .t I Figure 13 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 12.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in Figure l is shownacomposite construction of cribbing showing various arrangements of 'means for forming auxiliary-supports between courses subsidiary to the actual connection between headers and stretchers of the same course at the extremities of the stretchers. Both stretchers and headers as well as other structural members of the wall are preferably of preformed materials such as reinforced concreteor the like.

The stretcher I I is preferably provided with an undercut portion l3 to permit drainage". The

stretcher is also provided with a zoneor zones of reduced horizontal cross-section which permit the useof less material in the construction without depriving-thestretcher of the'necessary rigidity and strength. The portions: 14 are pref-i erably joined by anintegral supporting zone l5, which, as shown, in Figure 1, may be of about twice the thickness of the portions Haandigive the stretcher the necessary strengthoveritscene tralzone where the vertical section, due to the cut out portion 13, is smallest. I

The ends of the stretchers I I are provided with angular flaring portions l1, zones l8of thickness equivalent to the zone I5, and inset key portions together to form a compact unit having a flat or 1 flush front faceasshown in Figure 1.

It will be seen that the enlarged end portions of the stretchers constituting the supporting zones [5 rest directly one upon another, and that the I headers. rest substantially throughout their length one upon another withthe' T heads of each header resting upon the T heads of the header below. A substantial column effect is thus produced, where the header and stretchersfit together, one course over the next, and a very strong construction is thus produced which crushing or breakage is prevented, and particularly in which there is no danger of the heads of the'he'ader's being broken off, as sometimes'occurs wherethe ends ofthe headers project between the courses. of stretchers. In such constructions th headers separate successive courses'of stretchers and the stretchers separate successive'courses of headers, so that the compressionstresses are localized at the points of intersection of th 'headers and stretchers, instead of being transmitted directly throughout extendedbearing areas, a in the present construction. I

.As the headers and stretchers form horizontal courses keymembers are fitted-in pairs of registering notches 28*t0 provide a positive engage ment between-the headers of each course so as to prevent relative slipping or displacement of one course upon the-next. 'One form of key is shown at 39 in Figure 1 and comprisesa short rectangular block of' concrete received half in the notch in the upper edge of the lower header and half in the notch in the lower edge ofthe upper header; If desired, a plurality of these keys maybe employed between each pair of headers. Short keys of the type shownat 30 in Figure 1 are preferably used if the nature of the fill is such as to require the use of back stretchers 3 l. vFor reasons of standardization the back stretchers are preferably of the form of the front stretcher I I which has previously been described.

The key pieces 33 shown in'Figure 1 havethe' same relation to the headers 25 as the key pieces 30 previously described. However, the keys 33 extend for a substantial distance into the ground on either side-of the headers and since they provide ample anchorage for the headersvery often in such a construction'jbackstretchers may be dispensed with as shown. This is desirable where the cribbing is placed close to an existing embankment, where substantial excavation would be required for the placing of "back stretchers. The 'headers may be'placed by digging narrow trenches for them and they may be firmly anchored by the use of the long keys 33.

c The key pieces may also be extended, as shown at 35 in Figure 1, to jointwo adjacent headers and in this construction the stability of one header will'lend -strength' to its neighbor where such joining keys are used, no back stretcher are necessary.

In any. event these key pieces 30,330 35 are adapted to fit into the upper and lower notches 28 of' the headersv and toprovide positive resistance against the shifting of one course in relaployed for this purpose longitudinal tie members .40 which are the same as headers which I prefer'to extend into the fill behind and paral- ,lel, to the stretchers of the end section with their ple support to the end construction of the cribbing. -If header members of suflicient length are used for tie members-40, the latter will engage with the row of transverse headers next-t0 the end headers so tying the two rows of headers together' and adding additional stability. 'The members 40 fitting in the notches 28 also act as keys to'hold the-successive courses in place,

and in prder'to make all parts interchangeable.

the key'pieces 30,43 and 35 are all preferably made ofthe same= cross section as that of the header members 25 and 40 sothat a standard size of notch 28 may be produced to recover any of these members. a r I In Figure 6 is shown a modified construction of joint between header and stretchers. This modification comprises the application of a filling material 39 between the front faces 31 of the key portions 20 of the stretchers and the rear faces 38 of the T head. This filler may be of any suitable material, preferably of a firm but somewhat yielding-character such for instance as fibrous wallboard material or the like. Such material forms a cushiontending to prevent breakage of the adjacent concrete parts and also causesthecribbing to present a front wall not entirely smooth but having a pillastered appearance produced by the vertical series of slightly protruding T'heads of the headers.

and this detracts from the flexibility of the crib bing. If. there is uneven settling of the fill some of the stretchers are likely to become broken in. the middle; I avoid thisdifiiculty by dispensing with the staggering of the stretchers and anchoringthe stretchers between their endslby anchor-. ing means which are flexible in the sense that the anchors are =loosely connected with the stretchers, and are merely embedded in the fill so that uneven settling cannot produce stresses likely to cause breakage between theiends of. the

Such an As illustrated in Fig. 2 the' loosely in the recesses 6|. somewhat wider than the shafts of the anchors stretchers.- At the" same tirne the stretchers are tied to the' ea-rtl'i betweenth'eir end'sso that the span is not too great'and'thestretcherswill not be-broken byoutwardpressure of the earth. l a i In Figs.;1 and 7 Ihave shown 'a'form' of inter mediate stretcher anchor 49 which is adapted to accomplish the intended purpose. 'Iheanchor comprises a shaft 50 h'avinga short 'T-headf l at one end thereof and a second head 52- at theoth'er end thereof. The head 5 I is adapted to interlock. loosely with two superimposed stretchers. For this purpose the stretchers are preferably constructed as shown in' Figs. 7, 8 and 9, and have a vertical opening 54 extending through the central zone IS. The rear of the central zone is cutout at top and bottom as indicated at 55 to receive the shaft of the anchor. When the stretchers are laid up with, the anchor between them, as shown in Fig. 7, the headers 5| lock in the openings 54, and the shafts extend rearwardly into the earth. The rear heads 52 are of such size as to hold firmly where buried in the earth, and are preferably formed as vertically disposed T-heads, the vertical dimensions of which are equal to the height of the stretchers. Thus when the anchors are arranged one above the other as shown in Fig. 7 the head 52 of one anchor will rest loosely upon the head of the anchor below it, thus holding the anchors in proper position while the fill is being placed. At the same time there is no rigid connections so that uneven settling puts no strain upon the stretchers. The heads 5| and shafts 50 are made so as to fit quite loosely in the openings 54 and cut-outs 55 respectively, to insure this result.

In Figures 10 and 11 a modified construction of stretcher and cooperating stretcher anchor is shown. In this construction the central zones of the stretchers are provided with notches 80 in top and bottom, and in the bottoms of these notches are formed truncated conical recesses 6|. The stretcher anchors B2 are provided with truncated conical projections 63 adapted tofit The notches 60 are so that limited swinging movement of the anchors can take place.

The various members of the cribbing may be reenforced in any suitable manner. A suitable reenforcing arrangement for the stretchers is shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Horizontal rods 15 pass through the front part of the stretchers. To the middle one of these rods is secured a long center rod 16 which passes through the zone l5 in rear of the hole 54, while secured to the upper and lower rods 15 are a pair of shorter reenforcing rods 18 which have their adjacent ends off-set at 19 to form portions projecting into the zone l5 but terminating short of the notches 55. The outer ends of rod 16 and rods 18 preferably are off-set to extend into the key portions 20 at the ends of the stretchers. The reenforcing elements may be secured together by vertical rods such as 80.

Figures 12 and 13 show a construction which may be employed where it is desired to turn a corner or to produce a cribbing assembly having a finished end wall. As shown in these figures, the normal face of the cribbing is composed of stretchers H as already described. For forming the end wall, end stretchers 90 a, b, c and d which are identical with each other except in over-all length as can be seen from Figure 12. These members have end flanges 9| adapted to engage When the stretchers I l are laid w-ith -a batten asillustrated, the'fi'anges: 9f will be sloped =to cor+- respond with'them, in: 'whi'ch case the members- 90 "a, b; e and d will lie in horizontal courses;

The members 90 a; b, c and d may be held in place with respect to the stretchers I I by stretch--' er anchors: 49' preferably placed near the flanged ends of members 90 a; bg c and d; and theother ends of the membersllnaghc and d may be pro-' videdwith key portions 10, adapted to be ens-- gaged by headers 2 5 placedat right angles to the members 911 w, c and d. The end wall of the cribbing may be continued to any desired: length by the use of additional stretchers I I, also engaged with the headers 25.

While I have illustrated and described in detail certain preferred forms of my invention, it is to be understood that changes may be made therein and the invention embodied in other structures. I do not therefore desire to limit myself to the specific construction illustrated, but intend to cover my invention broadly in whatever form its principles may be utilized.

I claim:

1. A cribbing construction including superimposed courses, each course having front stretchers and headers having T shaped ends interlocking with the ends of said stretchers, said headers having shafts extending rearwardly from said T-shaped ends, the vertical dimensions of said headers and stretchers being such that the upper portion of a lower course is engaged by the lower portion of an upper course for a substantial part of its extent and means to prevent lateral movement of one of said courses in relation to the other said means including notches in the lower surfaces of the shafts of the headers of said upper course, registering notches in the upper surfaces of the shafts of the headers of said lower course, and key blocks interfitting in complementary pairs of said notches.

2. A construction as claimed in claim 1 wherein the key blocks extend laterally from each side of the headers for a substantial distance to form anchors.

3. A cribbing construction including a series of courses placed one upon the other, said courses having stretchers providing a front wall and end headers providing an end wall, said end headers having complementary upper and lower notches, and tie members having longitudinally extending shafts fitting in the spaces provided by complementary pairs of said notches, said tie members having heads overlapping and engaging the outer surfaces of said end headers so as to tie the end headers to the fill.

4. In a cribbing construction having a series of superimposed courses, each of said courses including front stretchers and headers engaging the ends of said stretchers and having rearwardly extending shafts, said stretchers and headers being superimposed one upon the other in column formation, the improvement which includes means intermediate the headers for anchoring the stretchers to the earth, said anchoring means comprising stretcher anchors having heads interlocking with intermediate portions of the stretchers and having anchoring shafts extending rearwardly into the earth, said shafts carrying heads at their rear ends adapted to rest one upon the other when the cribbing is assembled.

5. In cribbing construction having stretchers and headers engaging the ends of said stretchers, stretcher anchors located between said headers, said stretchers having complementary recesses the back wall into communication with said ver-- tical opening, said stretcher having longitudinal reenforcing rods therein at least one of which extends through a portion of said thickened zone in rear ofthe vertical opening therethrough.

' '7. In cribbing construction, a corner assembly including front stretchers having rearwardly ofiset key portions at the ends thereof, and end stretchers having flange portions overlying said key portions, said end stretchers having rearwardly ofiset key portions at the other ends thereof, headers engaging said last named key portions and stretcher anchors connected to said end stretchers between the-ends thereof.

CHARLES GILMIAN. 

